ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Competing against teams from as far away as Ottawa, Ontario, the Seacoast National Selects U-12 girls hockey team posted an undefeated record and captured the tournament championship at the Rail City Challenge, held in St. Albans, Vt., over the weekend of Jan. 25-27.

After cruising through their first two games by a combined score of 14-2, with Bridget Babcock and Kathryn White leading the scoring, the Nationals third game was a pairing with tournament hosts St. Alban’s, who had yet to lose in the tournament. After absorbing St. Albans pressure for most of the first period, Mikayla Vincent made a cross ice pass to Katie Strauss, who broke the deadlock with a backhand spin move. A second goal and a defensive effort led by Ashley Keaveney, Katie Kopecky, Robin Potter, and Gretel St. Lawrence held off St. Albans by a 2-0 score. The semifinals featured a rematch with St. Albans, and they were once again shutout by the Nationals, this time by a 1-0 score.

The championship featured an all-Granite State matchup against the Concord Capitals, who also brought an unbeaten record to the finals, and who also had allowed just 2 goals in the tournament. The Nationals dominated long stretches of the game with relentless forechecking and backchecking by Lilli Poitras, Kate Irons, and Alyssa Civiello throughout the game. But the Nats could not break down the Concord defense until late in the second period, when Dakota Markey collected a puck in traffic and beat the Concord goalie high on the blocker side to give her side a 1-0 lead. Nationals goalie Maddox Angerhofer shut the door on Concord for the remaining time, earning her third consecutive shutout.

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The Seacoast Nationals Selects U-12 girls team won the Rail City Challenge in Vermont the weekend of Jan. 25-27.

The U-12 team is coached by Kevin Keaveney, John Potter, and Craig Strauss. The Nationals are part of the Seacoast Women’s Hockey Association, which is dedicated to the promotion, growth, and development of girls’ and women’s ice hockey in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. For more information, please visit http://seacoast.goalline.ca/